Show a teacher you care

December 20, 2012|Rachel Brougham

To my son’s teachers, both current and future:

I don’t say it as much as I should, and somewhere down the line I may not always remember to say it — thank you.

Thank you for your kindness and your strength. For being my child’s guardian and his biggest cheerleader when I cannot. Thank you for your endless encouragement, which will stay with him year after year, classroom after classroom.

As teachers, you do so much more than teach our children about shapes and colors, numbers and letters. You encourage good choices and don’t give up on them when they make bad ones. You push them to do their best and work with them when they struggle.

Advertisement

Thank you.

When I drop my son off in the morning, I have never thought twice about leaving him in your care for those six-plus hours each day. You are with him in the classroom and on the playground — often spending more waking hours with him than I.

You are there with him when he’s following the rules, or on some days, breaking them. You tell him, “you can” when he tells himself, “I can’t.”

Thank you.

Like so many parents on Friday, I couldn’t wait to hug my child. I gave up evening plans to spend it with him, relieved to have him by my side, knowing there are 20 families in Newtown, Conn., that no longer have that option.

As parents, we all know teachers are very special people, but sometimes, lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we forget to slow down and show our gratitude.

We drop our kids off and pick them up, often times not even giving you a “hello.” We pack their lunch boxes and zip up their jackets, never considering it might be the last time we do so.

We were all reminded Friday of just how special you — teachers, administrators, support staff and aides — all are. We let you get to know our children and we entrust you with their safety five days a week, yet we rarely take the time to get to know you as individuals. We don’t know if you’re from here or a transplant, what kind of music you like, your pet’s name — things you probably know about us because you know so much about our children.

You give yourself to the job and to your students, selflessly. You don’t teach for the money, you teach because you care. You are passionate and committed to making our children be the best they can be, despite yearly budget cuts and often having to dig into your own money and time to do so. From you they draw inspiration.

Thank you.

As parents, it pains us to think about what happened on Friday. It’s hard to imagine someone sacrificing their life to save our children, but that’s just what you would do.

Each day, you are our children’s heroes, giving so much with little fanfare in return.

You are the true champions.

Thank you.

Rachel Brougham writes about a number of topics in this column which appears each Thursday. Email her at rbrougham@petoskeynews.com.